APPLE BUYING TIDAL: GREAT IDEA, BUT IT'S NOT HAPPENING

The Wall Street Journal report posted Thursday afternoon that Apple is in talks to buy Tidal is not true, according to inside sources at Apple. But it would make perfect sense for Cue, Iovine, et al, to take out Jay Z’s service and remove it from the urban scene, where Tidal artist exclusives from the likes of Rihanna, Kanye West and Beyoncé are dominating the streaming landscape, along with Apple Music’s own Drake. Is the Cupertino crew worried that buying Tidal would make them look predatory? Are they fearful of more government regulations and oversight? The reality is that Tidal is a pimple on the ass of a giant.

The latest intrigue is playing out amid bellyaching from Spotify, which is accusing Apple of trying to squelch the competition after Apple rejected the update to Spotify’s iOS app, and Elizabeth Warren, who called out Apple during a speech bemoaning the power of giant corporations.